Talk about versatility. How would you like to hire someone with a resume like this? Legendary star of TV’s Jeopardy. Medical miracle maker. Customer Service Agent extraordinaire. If you’re looking for a customer service agent, the last thing may be all you need. Add the ability to answer questions at lightning-fast speed and you’ve got a winner named Watson.
Watson’s not a person. He’s IBM’s super-computer with an incredible resume. Talk about careers that take a downturn. One might think that Watson will be underemployed, trading medicine for the customer service desk. But according to a Forbes article, “IBM’s Watson Now A Customer Service Agent, Coming To Smartphones Soon,” half of the 270 billion customer service calls go unanswered. Sounds like a task worthy of Watson. Call centers are labor intensive, costing U.S. companies $112 billion a year.
Not many people like getting a robo-call. Why would they want a robo-answer? No matter how much training and information is available to “live” service agents, they don’t know all the answers. The chance of getting a live person for one of those 270 billion customer calls is rare indeed. Why not give an over-achieving computer a chance.
IBM will be breaking Watson in slowly, with a handful of companies using the service for internal customers. An Australian bank, Neilson, Celcom, IHS and the Royal Bank of Canada will test out Watson’s customer service expertise with customized interfaces. “Hey, Watson, what’s…..?” In the second half of the year, this service will be available with an app for Smartphones. Take Watson with you wherever you go.
The beauty of Watson is the enormous capacity for data and its speed. IBM estimates that all those unresolved calls could have been resolved by better access to information. Its human counterparts take between six to eight minutes to find information to answer a question. In IBM’s own tests, IBM was able to search and deliver an answer 40-percent faster.
The ANZ Bank is going to use Watson with its wealthy investors. Watson can set up a new investor, pull up customer information, analyze data, make investment suggestions, and of course, answer client questions. That’s the up side for the Bank and its customers. The dark side of this is the possibility Watson will replace hundreds of financial advisors who are slower but more personable and, frankly, alive. Watson doesn’t need a salary, benefits, a smartphone or a company car. “He” won’t be late for work or take off a few weeks to go on vacation. Certainly plusses for companies.
Nielsen is going to load up Watson with data to help media planners make decisions on what types of advertising to buy, analyze metrics and answer questions.
Watson is a quick study. It took only about four months to turn it into a winning Jeopardy contestant, and IBM predicts it won’t take much longer to turn it into the fastest, most knowledgeable Customer Service Rep. With Watson taking on all those missed service calls, there will be plenty of time for the human service reps to deal with those calls that demand more heart and empathy than speed.
Photo credit: Paul Gillin / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA
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